Around here, you never get bored.

My next door neighbor got a new pistol for Christmas. Ordinarily this news would mean little to me and less to you but lately, things are rarely ordinary on the SPV. Of course, he had to test drive his new toy and I don't begrudge him that at all. The only problem is that my dog pens are about 100' away from his back porch and Lexus is terrified of guns. By the accounts of the dozen or so neighbors I spoke to last night, the gunfire was quite impressive. It impressed Lexus enough that she dug a two foot hole under the fence and ran away.

Of course, I didn't know any of this until James and I arrived home after dark. James was hungry, he is a wrestler after all, and wanted me to get started on dinner, so he went out to take care of the dogs. About ten minutes later he came in and said, where's Lexus? A cold chill went down my spine as I added up the gunshots that Sidney told me about and the missing dog. I quick inspection of her pen revealed the rest of the story.

I'm a loud man. I sang opera (please don't tell anyone) in high school. I was calling Lexus' name loud enough that you could hear the echoes for 6 seconds after I stopped. Of course, the worst thoughts were running through my mind. As I alluded to earlier, I immediately started to canvas the area. I figured the more eyes that knew she was missing, the better. The good news is that I met a lot of my neighbors! After a few hours (it takes a while to speak to folk out here) I went home and started calling her down near the creek. When I started calling, I could hear something moving around back toward the house but then it stopped. It could have been anything. I eventually gave up and went back to the house.

I made dinner for the boy and decided to go back out. I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep with her missing. I decided that I would walk a straight line away from where the gunshots had been fired from the hole under the fence. About 200 yards away from the house, I heard a stealthy footstep behind me and there was my Lexus girl. It had been hours but she was still shaking. She had apparently run into a fence because her face and neck have a couple fresh cuts. I brought her inside and James gave her a bath. She had also broken off a couple of her nails. I assume she did that while excavating. She enjoyed sleeping beside my bed. Right now, she is enjoying Trojan's protection in the barn.

Rex is at the BAC (Bowdon Animal Clinic) getting chipped and x-rayed as I type. I know he is fine. The boy turned four years old yesterday and if he had a problem it would have shown up by now but if you are going to breed, you need to test.

Other than that, things are sorta quiet. I want to get Trojan out and get his majors completed but not quite finish him. I really want to enter him in Open Fawn this spring in Houston. He is looking REALLY good right now. Go Trojan!

We set a record low here last night and it got me thinking. I know that most of the dogs are inside but I am going to bring this up anyway.

Mastiffs LOVE cold weather BUT there are still limits. It got down to 14 here last night and that is bloody cold! The cold concerns me when it gets below freezing and I start to take precautions. At 32 degrees my dogs get blankets and a sleeping buddy. When it gets below 20, they get more airtight enclosures. Below 10 degrees and they will be inside, somehow. I may put a wood burning stove in the barn. I have already bought it, but down to about 10 degrees it seems that the risks outweigh the benefits.

Something I learned the hard way is that dogs, like horses, require a lot of ventilation. Our homes are NOT ventilated enough for most dogs. The shear volume of air in our homes keeps them from getting sick BUT if you build a dog house, small scale, and make it as tight as one of our homes, I think you would really be asking for trouble. Stagnant, moist air can lead to upper respiratory infections and pneumonia.

What dogs really need to be able to thrive in cold weather is to be DRY. That is the key. Keep them dry with something insulating under them and frankly, I bet they could handle nearly anything. Dogs are better suited to cold than they are hot.

One last thing, cold dry air sucks moisture out of breathing creatures. Your dog will probably drink as much if not more during the cold months as it does in the hot ones. If the water is frozen, it makes it kinda hard on them to drink. With Roxie it doesn't matter. She loves eating ice. :)

So there it is, after a lot of rambling I get to my points! Keep your dogs dry, well ventilated, and properly hydrated and they will truly love the winter.

Roxie is already a wide stocky bitch and I expect she is about to get wider. I have been sitting on a piece of news since before Morrigan got sick. On November 24th and 25th I bred Rex to Roxie.

Anyway, Roxie is 'acting' differently. She is eating about twice as much as normal. As a matter of fact, Rex and Roxie eat as much as the other four combined! Her boobs have dropped a little, she is bigger (which hardly seems possible!) and she is especially loving (also difficult to imagine!) and a little less hyper. In short, I think she is pregnant, BUT I have been wrong before. What I am trying to say is that the line forms now. If you are interested in a Rex/Roxie pup let me know and your name goes on the list. When they are born I will accept deposits and solidify the picking order.

Soon I will post a puppy page with a pedigree and the vitals.

BTW - Barbaro is doing great!

Here are some pictures that I have taken or received in the last few days:

James had great fun burying Trojan alive.

Roxie and Rex hang out in front of their mansion.

Thanksgiving dinner at Granny's. This was supposed to be a good picture for Laura's desk. James is a brat.

Tank had a birthday....

....and experienced a blizzard!!!

Tug Boat is everyone's pal. Does anyone else remember when Heather worried about his mischievous ways?

13 trying to be 30. Have you ever seen anything as beautiful?

The gorgeous Macey and her family.

As we come to the end of this rather large posting, I want you all to know something unexpected is occurring over here. Lilly has taken control of the pack. Lexus and Susie are following her lead. I did not expect this. Lilly was always the most submissive to Morrigan. Now I think I understand that she was simply giving The Big M her allegiance and strength. Lilly walks the yard and the others walk in her wake. She plays with Trojan the way Morrigan did. She does something else as well. I brought Morrigan home in the trunk of my car. For the last two days, Lilly has stood guard at the rear of my car waiting for Morrigan to come out. I have shown her countless times that Morrigan is no longer in there but she trusts her nose. Lilly has moved on and assumed the mantle of command and at the same time she remembers the past. Impressive. Lilly is the boss now. I think we should follow her lead.

You folks are the greatest. When I got around to checking my email this evening I had 48 messages in my Inbox. 45 of them related to my Morrigan. Some were from dear friends that I cherish and hold in high esteem. Some were from friends I hadn't met yet but have read about our dogs on the group and on my blog. Phone calls? Yeah a hundred or so. They all conveyed their sorrow for the passing of Morrigan.

Sweet Catie. She made it about six syllables before her voice cracked. Iron maiden indeed. She has a heart of solid gold. Sorry Catie, I'm letting your secret out. Y'all should hear the way she speaks about "The Old Man", Mitch's father. Or listen as she speaks of Taz, Herc, Vi, Toby or dozens of others. She is a walking talking encyclopedia of mastiffdom and a Breed Treasure. Catie's life is about love and service. You should all have a friend like her.

Oh Heather. I hear you dear. I know what you are thinking. I hear your pain. Don't fear. Give Tug a hug for me. NO! Give him a lot of hugs. He has his mother's strength to share with you.

Susie who could stand before Satan himself, make him cower in fear and then sell him a lighter. I feel your strength surround me, the foundation my faith is built on. Susie told me the first time we met, "Morrigan will be the most important dog of your life." How does she do that?

And Jennifer. My conscience. Always questioning. Always curious. Endless energy. Tremendously faithful. Emotion and intellect bundled together in a most wonderful way. Soft as a cloud and hard as steel. A beautifully juxtaposed soul.

Dozens more. Folks I haven't heard from in years, and I didn't know were keeping up with our clan. Folks I know watch and hope.

And the tie that has brought this tremendously diverse group of people together, Morrigan. Her big life. Her big love for our family and our love of her.

This is her true gift to all of us. I see it. I get it. She has shown us that the true measure of a dog is not in its titles or pedigrees. I promise you, Morrigan didn't give a dman about her championship! What good are a thousand wins if you don't enjoy watching your dog's face change to contentment from a good ear scratchin'? What is a dog if not a companion first?

I know someone who thinks that he has never bred a 'great' dog. I feel sorry for him. Morrigan and I never bred one that wasn't.

Morrigan's Sons and Daughters:

Lexus
Macey
Tug
Abel
Oscar
Emma
Meg
Grendel
Boudi
Keena
Achilles
Lane
Chocolate
Lilly
Susie

and my buddy,

Trojan

I regret to announce that Morrigan died at 6:25 this evening. She had a short illness and was in no apparent pain until the very end. She maintained her dignity and earned the trust of the staff at Auburn to such a degree that she was not kenneled for her final day. She was that kind of girl. She has been buried on our farm near a White Oak that will forever be known as Morrigan's Tree.

Morrigan has meant more to my family than you can imagine. She has touched the lives of hundreds of people, but the effect she has wrought on us is incalculable. She will be sorely missed and never forgotten. She is one of the great loves of my life.

My children were present at her burial and James helped tremendously with the work. Jennifer McKemie was able to make it out in time to see Morrigan off. She brought Chocolate and Oscar and they were glorious and beautiful. Thank you, Jennifer. James said that Jennifer being there made it easier. He was proud that his dog meant enough to others to have so many calls and well wishes. Thank you all. Sidney's sentiments were even more profound but more private. Morrigan meant a lot to her. The Morrigan clan was well represented by Trojan. It was very obvious that he knew what was going on and has been at my side all evening. He is at my side now. I believe that Trojan will miss her the most. The two of them have been companions for his entire life. We had to call him when we left the grave site.

Morrigan had the most regal soul I have ever encountered and I am humbled by my experience with her.

Here is your Morrigan update. Thursday morning my local vet called and basically told e that Morrigan needed more care than they could provide. He referred my to Auburn and Morrigan and I loaded up and made the trip to the plains of Lower Alabama. Once we got there they sprang into action and took Morrigan from me very quickly. I filled in her history and gave them the work that my local vet had already done. Then began the tests.

They have done a lot of tests on our girl. Everything has come back normal except for her "Co-Ag" panel. Her liver is functioning normally. Her bone marrow is producing blood cells and platelets normally. Everything is working great except that her blood is refusing to coagulate! They have given her big doses of vitamin K and they have given her a transfusion of plasma.

I got the call a little while ago and she IS doing better. Her "Co-Ag" panel is improving and her bleeding has slowed dramatically. They said her bleeding today is about a quarter of what it was yesterday.

When you take a really sick dog to the university, your dog just might get her own personal fourth year student. This person cares for your dog and basically communicates everything to you. Chocolate had one and now Morrigan has had one too. Morrigan's attendant was amazed at how much Morrigan has bled and how strong she is in spite of it. She said the room where she stayed looked like something from a horror movie and Morrigan looked worse than 'Cujo himself'. They cleaned her up today and because she is doing better, they let her lay in the hallway for a couple hours. They put down 'another' towel, asked her to lay down and then to stay. She never moved and watched folks walk up and down the hallways. I told, you, this girl is smart!

They still don't know what has caused this although they seem to be leaning towards poisoning. I don't keep any poisons for just this reason. Morrigan is so big that she would have to eat dozens of mice to get enough poison in her to do this. My closest neighbor has said that he hasn't poisoned any mice. Its a mystery, but at least her strength and good nature are pulling her through. Wish her well.